- Dan Hardy talked about his thoughts as he edges closer to his return after nearly 10 years
- “The Outlaw” weighed in on the skills of his upcoming opponent and fellow UFC legend Diego Sanchez
- The 39-year-old shared how he sees his future in the sport
Dan Hardy is making headlines as he puts an end to his retirement after almost a decade of being out of action. The former UFC title contender will square up against Diego Sanchez in an eight, two-minute round exhibition boxing match on July 2 in Manchester.
Ahead of his comeback, “The Outlaw” let the fans know that he’s out to prove that age is just a number.
“The Outlaw” feels he didn’t age one bit
In a recent interview with The Mac Life, Hardy insisted that he still feels young and it’s like he hasn’t been out for a long period of time.
“This is it,” Hardy said. “I mean, of course. You know, there are certain things that you need to have, your timing, but you can get that from sparring. I have been immersed in the fight game ever since. It wasn’t like I stepped away and just disappeared. I mean, I have been obsessing about combat sports ever since my last fight and before. So… it doesn’t feel like 10 years, it’s crazy. I feel like I’m couple years down the line… I still think I’m in my 20’s in my head as well.”
“It was still quite a frenetic environment, I wasn’t able to really relax,” he said of his last fight. “Now I’ve matured a bit and I’ve kind of balanced my game a bit more. I feel like I’m gonna be able to apply a lot better than I’ve done before.”
Hardy knows Diego Sanchez well
As for his opponent, Hardy said he has followed Sanchez’s career and he’s certain about what “The Nightmare” can do. However, “The Outlaw” is not intimidated and is even excited to see what Sanchez can do in boxing.
“The thing is for me, it’s not about Diego, it’s not about what he’s capable of,” the 39-year-old admitted. “We know what’s he’s capable of from ‘The Ultimate Fighter.” He’s been doing this a long long time. But following his career, he’s ebbed and flowed, he’s gone through different phases and some of those phases have been a little bit crazy, a little wild, a little bit unpredictable. maybe unnecessary at times, and I think he’s brand suffered a little bit and he’s fighting style has suffered a little bit because of it.”
“When Diego’s on point, it doesn’t matter what skill set, he’s a handful,” Hardy continued. He’s a talented fighter, he’s a natural fighter and I’m interested to see what he’s gonna do with this limited skill set.”
There’s more to come
Hardy also assured that people will be interested in him once they see him perform, opening the door for more fights after Sanchez.
“I don’t know where we’re gonna go from here, I think there are some good options afterwards,” Hardy pointed out. “But I think once people have seen me fight this time around, I think I’ll have a few more options.”
Like Sanchez, Hardy is also considered as one of the best fighters of his generation. Though they haven’t faced each other during their primes in the UFC, it’s always interesting to see legends take on each other.
